Grange School Headlines Feb 2013

Post 16 back at the Grange

Prestigious Universities Programme

After a ten year absence, the sight and sound of Sixth Form Students will be back at The Grange from September 2013. The venture is in partnership with Cronton Sixth Form College and together we will be offering two courses from September and looking to expand in the future.

The courses on offer are Computing & IT and Business both of which are Level 3 BTEC Extended Diplomas, equivalent to three A levels and studied over two years.

As our current Year 11 cohort draw ever closer to their final exams, a number of our students are determined that their academic journey should lead on towards a place at Oxford or Cambridge University. To this end, we took 14 of our high achieving students over to Cronton Sixth Form College to attend a lecture by one of Oxford University’s admission tutors. They listened attentively to what life at Oxford is like and took heed of advice on how to successfully apply to one of the many colleges.

In our new building there is a purpose built sixth form centre which includes classrooms, common room, tutorial rooms and a Learning Resource Centre.

I am delighted to be working with Cronton Sixth Form College to provide our students with an opportunity to continue their education at the Grange campus. The College has enjoyed great success in recent years and its reputation continues to grow not just locally but nationally. I am confident that together we can provide the highest quality of teaching and accommodation. Further details will be sent to prospective students and an information evening will be held at school in the near future.

Changes to Dates Please note the following changes to important Parent’s Evenings in the school calendar: Year 10 Options Evening: Year 8 Options Evening: Year 9 Parents’ Evening:

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

Thursday 7th March 2013 Thursday 14th March 2013 Thursday 21st March 2013

February 2013 Issue

LPPA Recently we were visited by an assessor for the Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA). The LPPA is a framework  to enable schools to work towards improving their engagement with parents and carers for the benefit of learners. I am very happy to report that based upon the evidence presented, the assessor was satisfied that we had met the criteria and was pleased to award the LPPA to the school.  The accompanying Report contained glowing testament to the hard work of all involved: 

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representatives had a clear understanding of how their own and other parents were involved in the school, and the importance of the contribution they were making.

The learning Gateway is proving to be a developing valuable aid to staff & parents. Staff are gaining insight into how communication with parents can develop as parents also learn to access this for information about many aspects of their child’s school life.

The increasing & accessible range of communication strategies utilised by the school to develop a more open and informed approach was praised by parents.

 Parents reported that action was now usually often taken very quickly The very positive leadership and management of the Head of School to address issues they raised. and LPPA Coordinator had enabled all key partners to contribute to the further development of parental engagement in the school, using the LPPA framework as a tool to support the process. The school has Fairtrade fortnight genuinely sought to engage parents including the hard to reach and has made good progress which is on-going. This process has been As a school we will be raising awareness about world wide further supported by the very active involvement many staff including organisation, Fairtrade, during the annual fortnight beginning on all the SLT have with parents.

25th march. Fairtrade is about trying to alleviate poverty and create conditions for sustainable development for economically Students had high aspirations and stated they were well supported by disadvantaged producers and workers. staff personally & academically. The involvement of parents in target setting meetings and other activities such as Springboard was viewed During this fortnight, Mrs Hughes and Mrs Simpson will be serving drinks as very helpful. and selected foods which all carry the Fairtrade mark and these will be held

in room 201 on Tuesday 26th February and Tuesday 5th March during Consultation with parents about specific school policy and practice lunchtime. was ensuring that parents’ views were being heard. Pupil

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2013 Issue

House Events

So far this half-term Mr Murray has hosted a Science Quiz during which students were challenged on a wide variety of science topics. Brindley took This half-term has been yet another successful term for The Grange first place, second place went to Castle and joint third were Priory and Houses, with exciting activities being held and many students participating. Bridgewater. The Heads of House held a Wii Mario Kart competition for Year 10 which saw Brindley with yet another win; Bridgewater coming in Thinking back to the final day of term before Christmas, we saw a hugely second; Priory, third and Castle, fourth. successful Game Show Marathon held across all year groups. Coming in first was Bridgewater, followed by Priory, then Brindley and Castle. Thanks Next half-term’s activities will include a quiz delivered by the Humanities department and the annual Swimming Gala will be held at Kingsway to everyone for taking part.

Leisure Centre, Widnes on the 27th March with a total of 81 competitors selected across years 7, 8 and 9. Letters will be on their way home over the coming weeks.

As part of school fundraising for Red Nose Day, the Heads of House have entered themselves into the Superstars challenge where staff members will be voted for by students to take part in physical Challenges against each other.

With plenty still at stake, the overall scoreboard is currently: 1) Brindley 2) Bridgewater 3) Priory 4) Castle My thanks go to all participants and event organisers and for the ever exuberant Heads of House.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2013 Issue

The Grange Factor This month saw the launch of the Grange Factor. Based upon the successful TV game show, The Krypton Factor, teams from local Primary Schools compete to become Grange Factor Champion. The Krypton Factor was a game show which ran on ITV from 1977 to 1995 and was revived for a two series stint in 2009. The show tested both the mental and physical abilities of the contestants through a series of tough challenges.

The Brian Shields Trust Amongst the challenges for the Grange Factor were; a general knowledge quiz, a speed stacking race, an observation round and a puzzle mimicking Last month I wrote about Carol Highton’s work to the style of the original Krypton Factor show. raise awareness about the perils and dangers of borrowing money from money lenders. Carol and The first heat was contested by pupils from Moore, Gorsewood and the her daughter, Katie, have been visiting school Grange Primary schools. The competition was close with all three schools since September delivering a very powerful managing to win at least one of the four events but it was Moore Primary presentation about the possible consequences of school who eventually came out on top and secured their place in the final. money lending and the impact it can have on There will be three more heats in the coming weeks before the final in those who fall prey to the lure of sometimes illegal lenders. which one school will be crowned as The Grange Factor Champions 2013.

Sadly for Carol and her family, her son Brian Shields, fell victim and tragically took his own life. I attended the final presentation Carol and Katie gave to a group of year 9 students recently and I was moved by what they said. I am extremely grateful to them both for providing such a valuable input to our PSHCE curriculum and raising awareness in such powerful way.

Carol is holding a fundraising event for the Trust on Wednesday 27 th February 2013 at the Ferry Boat (Wetherspoons) starting at 8.00pm. There is free entry and entertainment with raffles and auctions taking place during the evening. Please note that unaccompanied children will not be admitted.

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2013 Issue

Sky Sports Living I was delighted to welcome Neil Danns our Sky Sports Living for Sport Mentor. Neil represented his county as a footballer, but it was skateboarding that led to him becoming a top athlete.

Miss Ellis is coordinating the programme at school and had identified her Y7 Girls Gym Club as the focus group for Neil’s mentoring. Miss Ellis commented that “they are working towards a performance and they are very talented plus motivated to get involved! If we can sustain their involvement in sport and support their pathway to excellence I believe that the project will be a success. Sports acrobatics is something that I have wanted to develop in school for a long time and felt that this was the perfect opportunity.”

He was invited to take part in his first major competition aged 17 and won his first British Championship aged 22. Neil was soon repeatedly winning European and British titles, whilst travelling the world representing the UK. Neil retired from skateboarding in 2005 and today runs Team Extreme, the UK’s only professional BMX team, alongside fellow Athlete I look forward to Neil’s contribution over the next few months.

Mentor Mike Mullen.

New Build Update Talking about his role as Athlete Mentor The new building has really taken shape and you can now clearly see what Neil commented: “My main aim as will be the impressive front reception. It is hard to believe that the time has Athlete Mentor for Sky Sports Living for nearly arrived for us to move in.

Sport is to share with the students the ways in which I set goals, motivate myself and the experiences I have had travelling the world and competing in my sport. I think it is also important to share the setbacks and the sacrifices I had to make to pursue my sport as life isn’t always easy and I think a lot of the students today will identify with that.”

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2013 Issue

Important dates for your diary

New school uniform

From September 2013 we are planning to introduce a new school uniform Thursday 14th February 2013: for students in years 7 to 11. We are also planning to secure funding so that we can offset the cost and therefore provide the uniform free of charge Friday 15th February 2013: to all those students who are currently in school and who will still be with us in September.

Monday 25th February 2013:

Y10 Parents’ Evening

The main change is to the colour of the blazer from navy blue to grey. The Thursday 28th February 2013: house tie will have a background colour change too, from blue to black with the house colour stripes on top. Bridgewater house will be changing colour Thursday 28th February 2013: too, from white to yellow.

Y11 Maths Paper 1 Exam

Following a request by several students, Jessica Main currently in Y10, presented a proposal to me and the School Council to change the colour of the girls socks from white to black. This was approved and so will be included as part of the new uniform.

The PE uniform remains unchanged.

During parents evenings a sample blazer and other items will be available for inspection. Any comments can be made via email to newuniform@thegrange.com

Finish for Half Term Pupils return to school

Y8 Parents’ Evening

Monday 4th March 2013:

Y11 Maths Paper 2 Exam

Thursday 7th March 2013:

Y10 Options Evening

Thursday 14th March 2013:

Y8 Options Evening

Thursday 21st March 2013:

Y9 Parents’ Evening

Friday 22nd March 2013:

House Events for Red Nose Day

Wednesday 27th March 2013:

Inter House Swimming Gala

Thursday 28th March 2013:

Finish for Easter Break

Tuesday 16th March 2013:

Pupils return to school

The Monthly Newsletter for Parents and Carers from the Head of School, Mr B. Carney.

February 2013 Issue